Auxiliary drive



April 3, 1956 FIG. I.

C. E. HOOPER AUXILIARY DRIVE Filed July 24, 1953 47 FIG. 2. 28

IN VENTOR Clz'zz on Edwin Hozpver M QQI W ATTORNEYS United States Patent AUXILIARY DRIVE Clinton E. Hooper, Brookfield, Conn. Application July 24, 1953, Serial No. 370,169 4 Claims. (Cl. 200-19) The present invention relates to an auxiliary drive and, more particularly, to novel improvements for driving a tachometer or the like through the distributor rotor of an automotive engine.

A tachometer drive utilizing the distributor rotor as the prime mover is not in and of itself new. In other words, it has previously been proposed to provide means for taking power off the distributor rotor for the purpose of driving an automotive accessory. However, the prior proposals have not been commercially accepted since, for one thing, they have not been designed for ready attachment to conventional distributors without requiring substantial modification thereof.

Accordingly, the principal object of the present invention is to provide novel auxiliary drive means operatively associated with the distributor rotor.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved distributor drive which may be readily associated with a standard distributor without requiring any substantial modification of the latter.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel adapter for taking power off the distributor rotor.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a conventional distributor showing the auxiliary drive adapter of the invention attached thereto;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional view of the distributor and adapter taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l, and

Figure 3 is a perspective, blown up view of the drive adapter of the invention.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 2 designates a distributor of conventional construction including a base 4 and a cap 6 atfixed thereto. Cap 6 is provided with the usual sockets 8 into which the various spark plug Wires 9 extend. As is customary, each of the wires 9 engage a metal contact 10 which extends into the distributor chamber 12 for the well known function of sequentially supplying voltage to the spark plugs, as more fully brought out below.

Distributor 2 includes the conventional drive shaft 14 which is rotatably mounted within the base bearing 16 and carries a rotor 18 at its upper end. This rotor 18 is provided with an outwardly extending arm 20 which, as is well known, permits the passage of high voltage from the generator sequentially to each of the metal contacts 10 as the member 18 is rotated and the arm passes under the contacts.

As will be appreciated, the distributor as so far described is of conventional construction. Normally, in such distributors, high voltage from the generator (not shown) is supplied to the arm 20 by passing a high voltage supply wire directly through the central socket 21 of the dis tributor cap and associating this wire in electrical conducting relationship with the arm 20. However, according to the present invention, a novel adapter, broadly designated in the drawings by the numeral 22, is provided not only for the purpose of providing electric conducting means between the source of high voltage and arm 20, but also to provide a simple, novel arrangement for utilizing the rotary motion of rotor 18 to drive a tachometer or the like. This adapter, as more fully described below, can be readily attached to the distributor cap without substantial modification thereof and is designed for use with any conventional distributor.

More specifically, and referring particularly to Figure 3, adapter 22 comprises a cylindrical bushing 24 made of brass or other electrically conducting metal. This bushing is rigidly secured by suitable means 26 to a housing 28, the latter being constructed of suitable insulating material, e. g., wood, Bakelite, or other plastic material. Housing 28 is adapted to receive, as by means of socket 30, a high voltage lead wire 32 from the vehicle generator (not shown), this lead Wire being welded, or otherwise electrically connected to bushing 24 for the purpose of providing arm 20 with the desired voltage in the manner hereinafter set forth.

Rotatably positioned within bushing 24 is a cylindrical drive member 34 which, like housing 28, is made up of appropriate insulating material, e. g., Bakelite. The lower end of drive member 34 extends into the distributor chamber 12 and has a circular, electrically conducting head 36, of brass or other suitable material, rigidly mounted thereon, as by means of the locking pin member 38. As shown in Figure 2, head 36 projects outwardly beyond the lateral extremities of drive member 34 and brushes against the lower edge of bushing 24. An O-ring seal 39 of rubber or like resilient material is mounted on drive member 34 between the lower extremity thereof and head 36 for the purpose of preventing leakage of lubricating oil and the like from between bushing 24, driving member 34, and head 36 into the distributor.

As best shown in Figure 3, head 36 is provided with an open, diametrically extending slot 41!. This slot is adapted to receive the innermost end of a resilient, metal. conducting spring 42 which may either be an integral extension of arm 20 or a separate member rigidly held between the arm 20 and rotor 18 and projects upwardly and inwardly to a point above the center of the rotor for driving connection with slot 40. In this way, it will be appreciated that the spring 42 serves two functions, i. e., it provides a driving connection between the rotor 18 and the driving member 34 and it also serves as a connecting conductor between the high voltage lead wire 32, bushing 24, and head 36, on the one hand, and arm 20, on the other.

For the purpose of connecting the adapter 22 to a tachometer or the like, driving member 3-4 is provided, adjacent its upper end, with means, for example, the vertical slot 44, for connection with one end of the rotatable element 45 of a flexible shaft 4-6. The opposite end of the element 45 is connected to a tachometer (not shown) or the like and serves to drive same by virtue of the motion transmitted to it by driving member 34 which, in turn, is driven by rotor 18 through spring 42. Rigid connection of shaft 46 to the distributor 2 is effected by means of a male member 47 and lock nut 48, the latter being threadedly attached to housing 28.

As Will be appreciated from the foregoing, the distributor drive of the present invention possesses a number of unique and highly desirable characteristics. Firstly, the drive is so designed that it can be readily associated with a conventional distributor cap with little, if any, modification necessary in the structure of the di tributor. Furthermore, it will be observed that the present drive constitutes a unique arrangement of electrically conducting and torque transmitting parts which are properly insulated so as to provide a construction which may be safely used. Additionally, it will be noted that the drive of the invention is relatively simple in construction and that the number of elements forming same is minimized by utilizing these element in such a way that, wherever possible,-

they might serve two functions. For example, bushing 24 acts both as a conductor and as a bearing for drive member 34, While spring 42; serves, as indicated above, as a driving connection between member 34 and rotor 18, and as a conductor. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the distributor drive of the present invention constitutes a highiy practical and commercially attractive development for taking power oif a distributor rotor.

Various modifications of the invention as described above can be made Without in any way departing from the spirit and scope vthereof, as defined in the appended claims.

1 claim:

1, in combination with a distributor including a base, a rotor mounted in said base and having an arm thereon, a cap secured to said base and supporting a plurality of contacts positioned in alignment with said arm. a distributor drive adapter comprising an insulated housing mounted on said distributor cap and having voltage receiving means thereon, an electrically conducting bushing fixed within said housing and extending Within said distributor, a non-conducting drive member rotatably positioned within said bushing and extending within said distributor, an electrically conducting head mounted on the end of the drive member which lies within the distributor, said conducting head. contacting said conducting bushing, means associated with said head providing electrical connection between said bushing and said rotor arm and providing driving connection between said rotor and drive member and means at the other end of said drive member for driving connection with an accessory for an automotive engine.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the means associated with said head include a conducting spring member fixed to said rotor and. in contact with said rotor arm, and slot means in said head engaging said spring.

3. The combination of claim 2, including sealing means between said bushing and said drive member adjacent said head.

4. A distributor comprising a housing, a rotor mounted in said housing and having a contact arm thereon, voltage receiving means including an electrically conducting bushing in said housing, a plurality of contacts in said housing positioned for sequential association with said contact arm as the rotor is rotated, a drive member rotatably positioned within said bushing and projecting outwardly from said housing for driving engagement with an automotive accessory, and an electrically conducting member fixing said drive member to said rotor for rotation therewith, said electrical conducting member being in electrical conducting relationship with said bushing and said contact arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,759,436 Chryst May 20, 1930 1,863,299 Davis, Jr. June 14, 1932 2,443,046 Mansen June 8, 1948 

